"What?! We can't—you said it yourself, that fiend is way too strong!"
Vale stood in silence for a moment, his mind drifting back to the day he told Klein about the Four-Armed Devil. He could still picture the way Klein's face had drained of colour, the glimmer of hope vanishing as if all their hard work, their sacrifices, had been for nothing. But Vale had no choice—he had to tell Klein the brutal truth.
After all, they would have to face that monster eventually. Perhaps it was too soon. Maybe they could afford another week or two, gathering more artifacts and growing stronger. Spend time mentally preparing for the nearly impossible battle ahead. But deep down, Vale knew none of that would truly change the outcome.
The monster was simply too powerful, far beyond anything they could handle at their current level. It was either at the pinnacle of the Awakened or something even worse. And with both of them still being of Dormant Core, taking it on head-to-head would be nothing short of suicidal.
But that didn't mean they were helpless. If they could study the creature, find its weaknesses, and strike when it least expected it, maybe—just maybe—they could stand a chance.
From the beginning, they had always relied on strategy, not raw strength. Although Vale's swordsmanship came in useful in executing the traps, it was the plan that mattered the most. Now, all their experiences, all their lessons, all would have to come together in a single, well-executed plan.
After spending the rest of the morning preparing, they left the cozy shelter—not to their usual hunting grounds in the narrow passages south of the tower, but further beyond, to the very place where Vale had last seen the terrifying creature.
They had two goals.
The primary goal was to locate the Four-Armed Devil.
The secondary goal was to find the rest of their group.
Unsure how to find their groupmates in the vast expanse of the Demon Realm, they would have to hope to stumble upon them eventually. Locating the monster, however, took priority.
Though both were willing to risk their lives to bring down the creature, they would not be reckless. If they assessed the situation and realized they had no chance of winning, they would simply retreat. The mission was to observe, learn, and identify weak spots.
Only then would they decide whether to engage in combat or wait for a better opportunity.
Even that carried risks. If the monster spotted them first, they would die. No question about it. They could not risk the creature spotting them first, so staying on alert was the most crucial part of the plan.
The walk through the narrow passages was uneventful. They had traversed this area extensively over the past two weeks, and they knew every twist and turn. They avoided a sizable horde of monsters, opting not to waste any essence on creatures they could bypass.
It wasn't long before they reached the crevice where Vale had hidden last time.
"It's not far now. Stay alert," Vale murmured, his voice low.
Klein nodded, though he didn't really need the reminder. Since hearing Vale's warning about what they were facing, Klein had been constantly on edge, eyes scanning every shadow, every movement.
The pair proceeded cautiously, their pace slow and deliberate. The tension between them stretched thick as they drew closer to the place where the half-eaten carcass had once lay.
They halted a few times, waiting for larger groups of monsters to pass before slipping past them undetected, ducking behind piles of jagged rocks scattered across the landscape.
Soon enough, they arrived.
Before them, in a wide crater, lay a vast pool of bones—scattered in every direction. Some were no larger than a human finger, while others were as wide as an adult's body. Not a single drop of blood remained. The bones were entirely clean, as though all life had been drained from them long ago.
The two students stood in silence, their eyes dark with the weight of what they saw. A flicker of doubt danced in their gazes, but neither of them spoke it aloud.
Vale took a cautious step forward, carefully sliding down the edge of the crater. Klein stayed behind, summoning his bow, his eyes darting over the surrounding terrain, constantly scanning for any sign of danger.
But down below, Vale found nothing. Only bones remained. As he moved around the graveyard, he saw nothing of interest, just a chilling scene of death.
"There's nothing but bones down here—"
The ground beneath him trembled.
Vale's heart dropped into his stomach, his weapon already summoned.
He whipped his head around—but there was nothing in sight.
"Behind!" Klein shouted, his voice sharp with urgency. He was already pulling the string of his bow, ready to fire at a moment's notice.
Vale's heart raced as he spun around.
From the ground below, a massive centipede-like creature shot upward, sending debris and rocks flying in all directions.
Vale swung his weapon, slicing through a rock that had been launched at him. His eyes locked onto the enormous creature.
The centipede's body was a deep brown, tinged with red. Its countless legs extended out in all directions as it moved through the earth with terrifying speed. The portion visible above the surface stretched at least three meters long, but it was clear that the rest of its body still remained buried deep underground.
At that moment, an arrow flew past Vale, striking the creature's thick, armoured body. The arrow simply bounced off, as though it had struck a sheet of metal.
Vale's expression darkened, and cold sweat ran down his face. Trying to steady himself, he took a deep breath, in an attempt to calm his racing heart.
The centipede lunged at him, its body thrashing through the earth at a terrifying speed. The ground beneath shook under its weight.
Vale swiftly sidestepped, barely avoiding the creature's sharp legs.
Gripping his weapon with both hands, he swung his weapon in a vertical strike.
A jolt surged through his arms as the blow struck the creature's hard exoskeleton. But the blade of his weapon simply brushed against the creature's body.
He gritted his teeth and swung again, resolve burning in his eyes.
Each one of his strikes was effortlessly shrugged off, as though the creature didn't even feel the blows. If not for the fact that the monster was trying to kill him, Vale might've thought the creature didn't realise he struck it.
Before he could attempt another swing, the centipede's body twisted unnaturally.
Its head whipped toward him, then—in a wide arch, it dove back into the ground.
Vale barely managed to keep his footing as the ground trembled beneath him.
"Where—"
Before he could even finish the thought, dirt and debris exploded all around him.
His body was sent flying into the air, disoriented and helpless.
He twisted mid-air, glancing down at the creature.
The massive head of the centipede rocketed toward him, its mandibles ready to consume him whole.
A memory of getting half-eaten by the giant arachnid re-emerged in his mind.
"Again?!"